How long would we work together for?
I work with clients in both short term (anywhere between 6-18 weeks) and open ended therapy. The length of time and frequency would be determined at our initial consultation and can always be evaluated throughout the time we see each other. We would meet once weekly at the same time, day and place every week. I also work with clients twice weekly if more intense counselling or therapy is needed.
How I work.
As a psychodynamic therapist I work with what you're experiencing in the present as well as linking what might be relevant to your past experiences and relationships in order to better understand what is going on in your life. In short term work we would tend to work with a specific issue or aspect of your life which you feel you need to look at. In open-ended therapy we would be able to work more slowly to gain a deeper understanding of areas you wish to understand while looking at a broader range of issues and experiences.
Understanding how our past and present experiences and relationships can be linked can motivate changes and clarity about what we are going through. Also, highlighting certain behaviours and attitudes which are often replayed in the present can be the missing part of the puzzle that can bring about insight and change.
We all have an inner world which has a powerful influence on how we think, feel and behave. Although we are conscious of some parts, much of it is unconscious. Our unconscious can hold onto difficult, painful feelings and memories, which are often too overwhelming for the conscious mind to process.
Allowing more awareness of what drives us and making links between our past and present experiences and relationships enables us to understand what motivates us as well as what might be overwhelming us in our inner world and impacting day to day life.
Every client is different.
We will work together at a pace that ensures you feel safe in exploring difficult, painful or confusing experiences and feelings with a therapist you can trust and be honest with. We can work with stories you share, dreams you bring and anything symbolic which could have meaning for you. How we work will be determined by what you bring to therapy and how you can best understand your own inner world as well as how you relate to those people closest to you.
